Department of
WashU Medicine’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology participated in the Society for the Study of Reproduction (SSR) 59th Annual Meeting in Indianapolis, July 19-22. Congratulations to our faculty and trainees on an outstanding showing and for successfully connecting with leaders in the field!
We are delighted to announce that Dr. Nardhy Gomez-Lopez, Professor in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and a secondary appointment in the Department of Pathology and Immunology, became Director of the Center for Reproductive Health Sciences (CRePHS) effective July 1, 2026. She previously served as Associate Director of the Center. Dr. Gomez-Lopez succeeds Sarah K. England, PhD, the Alan A. and Edith L. Wolff Professor of Medicine, who served as […]
Bisiayo Fashemi, PhD, always knew she wanted to be a scientist. Starting in high school and continuing through her undergraduate years, the Boston native seized every opportunity to conduct lab research, with a particular focus on improving women’s health. She moved closer to her career dream by entering WashU’s Roy and Diana Vagelos Division of […]
Congratulations to our Center for Reproductive Health Sciences (CRepHS) investigators, Dr. Nardhy Gomez-Lopez and Dr. Seungbaek Lee, on their new publication, “Mapping the Human Female Reproductive Tract,” published in Nature Cell Biology. This important work provides a comprehensive map of the human female reproductive tract and represents a significant advance in our understanding of reproductive biology and women’s health. [nature.com] We are […]
Congratulations to Juan Ferreira, PhD, postdoctoral research associate in the lab of Celia Santi, MD, PhD, for recently receiving a prestigious NIH Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00) for his project titled “Milk Excretion and Myoepithelial Cell Contractility: Modulation by the Na+-activated K+ Channels, SLO2.1.” His research is being funded by the NIH/Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development […]
Congratulations to Shweta Bhagwat, PhD, postdoctoral research associate in the lab of Celia Santi, MD, PhD, for recently receiving a prestigious NIH Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00) for her project titled “Study the impact of Bacterial Vaginosis (BV) toxins on sperm function.” Her research is being funded by the NIH/Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child […]
WashU Medicine researchers Polina Lishko, PhD, and Celia Santi, MD, PhD, have been awarded a five-year National Institutes of Health (NIH) R01 grant to support collaborative research focused on defining mechanisms important for regulating male fertility. The award recognizes the investigators’ longstanding leadership in reproductive physiology and translational fertility research. The R01 grant project titled “Temperature and Polyamines: […]
Dr. Celia Santi, James P Crane Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, in the Center for Reproductive Health Science, was highlighted in the Division of Physician-Scientist Newsletter. This newsletter supports the career development of Physician-Scientists, shares resources, guides mentorship, and encourages research pursuits at all career stages. What motivated you to become a physician-scientist? I originally […]
Maggie Mullen, MD, MSCI, has been selected for funding through the Siteman Investment Program. “The Siteman Investment Program (SIP) Research Development Award (RDA) is designed to award pilot funding to faculty investigators to support pioneering cancer research and produce data to leverage further external peer-reviewed funding” via the Siteman Research Site. Dr. Mullen’s proposal, “Targeting […]
Juan Ferreira, PhD, a postdoctoral research associate in the laboratory of Celia Santi, MD, PhD, has been awarded a Male Contraceptive Initiative (MCI) Fellowship Grant for his project, “High-Throughput Assay to Screen for Candidate Contraceptives Targeting Sperm Function.” Dr. Ferreira began his two-year MCI Fellowship in September 2025. The research conducted through Dr. Ferreira’s MCI-funded project builds on […]
Congratulations to Dr. Sara Pietroforte! Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Amargant i Riera lab, Dr. Pietroforte has been selected as a Distinguished Postdoctoral Scholar by WashU Medicine’s Center of Regenerative Medicine. This honor highlights her exceptional contributions to regenerative science and her commitment to advancing the field.
Congratulations to Andy Liu! Andy, a WashU undergraduate researcher in the Amargant i Riera lab, was awarded Best Presentation at the Upper Midwest Summit for Reproductive Science hosted by Northwestern University this past weekend! 🏆 His winning presentation, titled “The mechanosensitive channel Piezo1 is highly expressed in theca cells and regulates follicle development and oocyte maturation,” showcased groundbreaking work in reproductive science.👏 Bravo, Andy! #WashU […]
The Center for Reproductive Health Sciences was honored to host Dr. Kyle Orwig of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine as our 2025 Dr. Jacob Probstein Visiting Professor Lecturer. Dr. Orwig, a globally recognized leader in fertility preservation and male infertility, delivered two outstanding lectures that sparked meaningful dialogue and collaboration among clinicians and researchers in reproductive […]
The OBGYN Center for Reproductive Health Sciences (CRepHS) hosted a vibrant “Around the World” themed collaboration event. The potluck celebration highlighted the rich diversity of CRepHS team members, with attendees sharing a variety of cultural dishes, ranging from entrees to snacks and desserts. As attendees enthusiastically sampled the delicious offerings, many shared personal stories behind […]
In honor of National PostDoc Appreciation Week, we give a huge THANK YOU to all Postdocs in OBGYN! Your research, mentorship, and dedication strengthen our academic community and drive progress locally & globally. We’re proud to celebrate you!
Our Center for Reproductive Health Sciences team represented OBGYN at the WashU Fall 2025 Career Expo on the Danforth Campus. Hundreds of employers attend this annual two-day recruiting event that is open to students from all WashU programs. Staff members Audrey Holland and Julie Emmerich created autumn ambiance at the WashU Medicine OBGYN table, and presented materials about student […]
Dr. Magdaleena Mbadhi, Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Frolova lab of WashU Medicine OBGYN, was elected President of the WashU Black Postdoctoral Association (BPA)! “The WashU Black Postdoctoral Association (WashU BPA) is an interdisciplinary community of postdoctoral fellows committed to creating, cultivating, and solidifying a protected, inclusive space of advocacy and support. The mission of the WashU […]
Congratulations to Dr. Shweta Bhagwat from the Santi Lab on her first-author publication, “Bacterial vaginosis toxins impair sperm capacitation and fertilization,” in Human Reproduction! This study uncovers a new way bacterial vaginosis (BV) may contribute to infertility. BV-related toxins (LPS and VLY) were found to disrupt crucial steps sperm need to fertilize an egg, including […]
Our Center for Reproductive Health Sciences team represented OBGYN at the WashU Researcher Services and Equipment Expo. Here, they met with other professionals and researchers throughout the university to share their tools and services available to support research across the board. Both our Gynecologic Oncology Tissue Bank and our new master’s program, Master of Science […]
Celia Santi, MD, PhD, James P. Crane Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, presented on SLO3 potassium channels and was a panelist for the “Female Contraceptive Development (Male Targets in Females)” session at the 2025 National Contraception Meeting that took place April 28th-May 1st in Durham, NC. The National Contraception Meeting is a multidisciplinary meeting about the […]
Viju Gupta, PhD, senior scientist in the Khabele Lab, presented a poster titled “Precision targeting of HDAC3 in ovarian cancer” at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting that was held April 25th-30th in Chicago. Also during the meeting, Dr. Khabele chaired a forum titled “Lifelong Career Development: Strategies for Success at Every Stage.” Scientists, […]
Thank you to everyone who joined us for the 39th Annual Rothman Research Day, a proud tradition that highlights the dedication, innovation, and scholarly excellence of our residents, fellows, and basic science researchers. Each year, this event brings our community together to showcase the impactful research being conducted across a wide range of disciplines. We […]
WashU Medicine OB-GYN Chair, Dr. Dineo Khabele, and Postdoctoral Research Associate, Bisi Fashemi, PhD, recently presented at the Keystone Regenerative Biology of the Female Reproductive System meeting. Dr. Fashemi received a travel award to present a poster and talk on the project entitled “Single-Cell Signatures of High-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer Patient-Derived Organoids”. Dr. Khabele sat […]
Nardhy Gomez-Lopez, PhD, was elected to the Publications Committee of the American Association of Immunologists. Congrats to Dr. Gomez-Lopez! The term begins on July 1, 2025. To read more about the election results, please visit the link below. Congratulations to everyone who was elected!
On average in the US, 1 in 10 babies is born prematurely and, in many cases, the cause is unknown. However, there could be many contributing factors, nearly 40% of pregnant people who deliver before 37 weeks exhibit chronic placental inflammation, which happens when the mother’s immune system attacks the placenta. If we understood this […]
The Gomez-Lopez lab’s recently published article in The Journal of Immunology has been featured as a top read by the editor for the December 1st issue. Notably, only two articles are selected per issue for this recognition. Congratulations to the Gomez-Lopez lab!
PhD graduate student Kevin Prifti from the Frolova lab was recently awarded the CRepHS Biannual Best Paper Award, a friendly competition for first-author trainees within the Center. Kevin’s paper was also chosen as “Editor’s choice” by the journal in which he published, Biology of Reproduction. Congratulations, Kevin! Be sure to read the publication here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38857377/ – Citation: Prifti […]
Nardhy Gomez-Lopez, PhD presented at the WashU Medicine ODEI Faculty Showcase! This event was held in honor of Latiné/Hispanic Heritage Month. Our partners included the WashU Medicine Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion(ODEI), the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, SOMOS WashU, the WashU COTAD Chapter, and the WashU LMSA Chapter. “From Passion to Purpose: My Journey, Inspirations, […]
Congrats to Dr. Sarah England who was inducted into the National Academy of Medicine this weekend!
Washington University in St. Louis’ Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology hosted our 2024 Dr. Jacob Probstein Visiting Professor Dr. Kristina Adams Waldorf, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Washington. She presented her research entitled, “Unraveling Biology at the Maternal-Fetal Interface: Preterm Birth Studies in a Nonhuman Primate”.
The major goal of this proposal is to unveil non-infectious causes of preterm labor and birth and may lead to the development of a treatment – such as vitamin D, which is FDA-approved during pregnancy – to reduce the risk of preterm birth. “T Cells and IL-9 Signaling at the Maternal-Fetal Interface in Preterm Labor […]
Nardhy Gomez-Lopez, PhD, a professor of obstetrics & gynecology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has received a four-year, $500,000 award from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund to further research into the immunobiology of the maternal-fetal interface and identify biomarkers to predict preterm labor and birth. One in 10 babies is born prematurely and, in many cases, […]
Debbie Frank joined the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology as the Scientific Editor in 2012 and was promoted to Senior Scientific Editor in 2021. In this role, she helps faculty members, medical fellows, residents, post-doctoral fellows, and graduate students prepare research manuscripts, grant proposals, and fellowship applications. Debbie’s primary goal is to facilitate clear and […]
Viju Gupta, PhD and Audrey Johnston, MBA from the Center for Reproductive Health Sciences celebrated their graduation as two of only 30 WashU staff members in the inaugural cohort of the Emerging Leaders Program, sponsored by the Institute for Leadership Excellence. This is a 9-month, competitive program for WashU Staff members who manage individual contributors […]
The Annual Meeting of the American Association of Immunologists (Immunology 2024) was held in Chicago, Illinois! From our team, Dr. Nardhy Gomez-Lopez, Dustyn Levenson, and Valeria Garcia-Flores!
PhD student Kaci Martin from the Frolova lab received the Rosalind Kornfeld Student Leadership Award from the Academic Women’s Network last week. This award is given to a graduate or medical student that has demonstrated outstanding leadership in service to, or advancement of women within the community. Our Department Chair, Dr. Dineo Khabele, was there […]
Awards Galore! PhD student Kaci Martin from the Frolova lab received two awards from the Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences last week – the Student Group Member of the Year Award and the Excellence in Research Award. If that wasn’t enough, Kaci’s PI, Assistant Professor Antonina Frolova, MD, PhD received the Outstanding Faculty Mentor. […]
The Center for Reproductive Health Sciences recently hosted its first Game Table Tournament! Thanks to the Wellness Champion Fund from HR, the CRepHS breakroom received a combination game table complete with ping pong, foosball, and air hockey. We then pitted lab-mates and faculty against one another in an epic event! Please congratulate our champions! – […]
The Center for Reproductive Health Sciences was well represented this week at the 29th Annual Graduate Research Symposium, hosted by the Washington University in St. Louis Graduate Student Senate on the Danforth Campus. From left to right: Postdoctoral Research Associates Juan Ferreira, PhD (Santi Lab) and Sara Pietroforte, PhD (Amargant i Riera Lab) participated as […]
MD/PhD student Dustyn Levenson in the Gomez-Lopez Lab was selected to present her work in a Block Symposium at “Immunology2024,” the annual meeting of the American Association of Immunologists (AAI), and will receive a 2024 AAI Trainee Abstract Award. We are incredibly proud of her hard work! Congratulations, Dustyn! #AAI2024
Yong Wang, PhD, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Electrical and System Engineering, Radiology, and Biomedical Engineering, in collaboration with Valerie Ratts, MD, Professor of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, is making strides in discovery related to his project titled “Understanding Uterine Function and How it Relates to Reproductive Health.” This project was recently expanded to investigate […]
On the weekly Science Podcast, producer Kevin McLean talks with researcher Nardhy Gomez-Lopez, a professor in the department of obstetrics and gynecology and pathology and immunology in the Center for Reproductive Health Sciences at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The two discuss signaling between fetus and mother during childbirth and how understanding this crosstalk may one […]
An atlas revealing the activity of individual placental cells during childbirth offers insight on what happens at the maternal-fetal interface during term labor, according to a study supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The atlas provides a single-cell analysis of the human placenta and its surrounding membranes and is the first to use […]
The Center for Reproductive Health Sciences (CRepHS) welcomed visiting speaker Alexa Sassin, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Baylor College of Medicine, on Jan. 5th as part of the CRepHS Seminar Series. Dr. Sassin’s impactful presentation on Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) research was well-received by seminar attendees over Zoom and in person at BJC-IH. […]
The Center for Reproductive Health Sciences (CRepHS) and the Center for Women’s Health Engineering (CWHE) hosted an open house event on December 5, 2023. At this collaborative event held on the Medical Campus, more than 70 attendees from the McKelvey School of Engineering and the School of Medicine were able to network and learn about reproductive health research, education […]
Dr. Nardhy Gomez-Lopez’s paper “Blockade of IL-6R prevents preterm birth and adverse neonatal outcomes” was published in eBioMedicine. Evidence before this study Prematurity remains as the leading cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality before five years of age globally. One in every three preterm infants is born to a pregnant individual with inflammation of the […]
Sarah England, PhD, Alan A. and Edith L. Wolff Professor of Medicine, Vice Chair of Research for the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Director of the Center for Reproductive Health Sciences at Washington University School of Medicine, recently received distinctive recognition of her exceptional research accomplishments and service in the field of obstetrics and […]
Reproductive biologist Sarah K. England, PhD, and two others from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, have been elected to the National Academy of Medicine, a part of the National Academy of Sciences. Membership in the organization is one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine in the United […]
Peinan Zhao, PhD, Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, received a new five year R01 grant from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) with co-principal investigator Molly Stout, MD, MS, Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Michigan. The R01 grant provides […]
Farners Amargant i Riera, PhD, was awarded an R00 for her project titled, “Mechanotransduction mechanisms of ovarian aging.” Dr. Amargant i Riera will examine how the increase in the biomechanical properties of the ovary with age are spatially and hormonally regulated and how they influence follicle transcriptome through the YAP1 pathway. Overall, the proposed studies […]